Alright, I think it's time for my HD 800S review (before I had the HD 700) this is not going to be the best review, as I do not know all the technical terms. Only really got to the "Audiophile" area a few months ago. Anyway, I'll start with build quality. The AMP/DAC I have are:
Schiit Valhalla 2 (stock tubes)
Schiit Modi Multibit
Build Quality
Now, I have seen this mentioned many times in the past (even on this thread) mentioning about the "Plastic" used on the HD 800S and that at this price range, more premium materials should be used. Too some extent I do agree with those people, however I think calling it "Plastic" is not really fair, considering it is 60% Glass and 40% Plastic, I would say it was more Glass than Plastic. This gives it a light feel to it and makes it incredible light on the head, helping for my long listening/game times. Furthermore, I feel that this does not weigh any more than the HD 700 which is much smaller than this headphone. Most of the build is amazing though. However I feel the clips holding the headband are too weak and should be thicker or made of metal, as I think they could easily snap when replacing the headband. Also, I think the metal mesh should be better supported on the inside of the headphone, as it can easily indent into the headphone.
Also I think it would have been better to put the cable connectors (the two that go into the headphone) actually in the headphone (somehow) rather than sticking out the side, as compared to the HD 700, they are much longer.
Comfort
Comfort is amazing, I would say it is better than the HD 700, which is known for being an extremely comfortable headphone. The massive ear cups allow my ears to easily fit inside without any problems. Additionally, the headband is also extremely comfortable and I think it is better than the HD 700 one. I do not have any problems at all with the comfort side of this headphone.
Sound Quality (will be comparing with HD 700 mainly, as we all know the HD 800S is amazing here)
The HD 800S has much better bass (in terms of quality and the amount of bass) which I think was critical to the headphone, as I think that the HD 700 did not have enough (not a massive difference, just enough of a difference which made the HD 800S better) and sounded weak when playing games like Battlefield 1, as explosions did not really feel like explosions. Highs were also better on the HD 800S, bullets sounded (high?, no idea of the term) better when they were hitting metallic objects and when being fired from different weapons.
Soundstage is amazing on this headphone, the distant eco of firing and bullets in the background was so good and gave a better impression of being on a battlefield compared to the HD 700. Also helped a little on the positioning, although not much changed here.
The songs I noticed and remembered (as my RCA cables broke one day after I got my HD 800S, so I had to wait 6 days for a replacement, meaning I forgot largely what the HD 700 sounded like for a direct comparison) that had a large difference compared to the HD 700 are:
Taylor Swift - Shake it Off
Sia - Cheap Thrills
Fifth Harmony - Work From Home
Mo - Lean On
Selena Gomez - It Ain't Me
OMI - Cheerleader
Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk and 24K Magic
Among a few others
This was all with YouTube format (not even FLAC)
Worth it?
Now that's a difficult question, they are an upgrade over the HD 700 and I did get them for £1200 (could sell the XLR cable for £200 as I do not use it, meaning the headphone would be £1000) however I think they should be £1000 (without cable) at the original price. I do not think they are worth £1400, it is a bit too much. They are an amazing headphone and if I did not have them and was looking to buy them, I would pay £1200 for them. Due to the build quality, comfort and sound quality being so good. Also, we (UK market) get a 10 year warranty on these headphones with Sennheiser Club Orpheus, which makes it even better.
Thanks for reading.